Recent content by Verdais

Wow, this is a good thread and kind of right up the alley of my life as of late. I have been a full time trader for over five years and averaged about +100K a year. Life was certainly good, but I was trading European products and living in California and the night shift was eating me alive. I...

Don't know about the US, but on Eurex MMs also pay the exchange, but at a significant discount if the market-making requirement is met. The requirement is that a certain percentage of quotes must be responded to. There is no obligation to trade someone's bid or offer, but if they hit yours...

Wow... I don't normally get involved in the political rantings on this site, but I really just have to ask a question... What is the liberal agenda? Clean up the environment. Promote understanding and acceptance between different socio/economic classes. Decrease private ownership of...

Was I profitable in 2005? What a silly question... of course. Wasn't everybody?

Yes. Market-maker.

market-maker. Most people just nod and say, "Oh."

Short over two points of bund vol on expiration day and there is a plane crash or earthquake somewhere in the world (I can't remember now, this was about two years ago...) and the market took off north and I am swinging 25 lots at the futures market trying to anti-scalp and am not getting any...

Wow. What do I find funny... people who come on ET and say that there are no "pro" traders on here. What do you have to do to be considered a pro? Tremendous volume? Be paid commision and salary to trade someone else's cash? Have a huge pile of your own cash to trade? Do you have to be a...

Wow... sometimes this site makes me realize just how non-unique I am. This guys question is something I am wrestling with right now. I am about to stop trading full-time (yearly take of about 150,000 to 225,000) and take a full-time job with a great company that only pays 90K and try trading...

30, trading in Los Angeles, but started in Chicago and about to move to San Francisco. Full-time options trader, about to become part-time.

Thanks for the clarification, Don. I figured there was more to it. You continue to prove yourself a gentleman and a scholar. Happy trading.

I hope this doesn't make me sound like a jerk, because I am asking this as a legitimate question... Reading through this thread, the profit numbers tend to be around $150 - $450 a day trading several thousand shares. Is that enough of a profit for that kind of exposure? I'm not a stock...

Stockpile it, so that when trading goes bust I will have something to show for it. Pay off my mortgage. Wow, neither of those answers is very sexy. I do think about moving to Manhattan sometimes and spending it on drinking and girls. Then I snap out of it and take my dog for a walk.

Trading really isn't that hard. Frustrating... yes. Discouraging... yes. But hard? Hmmm... Becoming a doctor is hard. Becoming a nuclear engineer, that's hard. Learning how to do basic math and apply minor self-control? That should be easy, but for some reason when you dangle the...

A valley rat may not be welcome in this thread, but I'm in Van Nuys. Please refer to it as Sherman Oaks adjacent. What do you guys think of the LA housing market right now... I'm getting twitchy and thinking about dumping? Not trying to change the thread just trying to get a local feel...